Envelop-feeding device.



-0. GARLETON.

ENVELOP FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6. 1913.

1, 1 16,992, Y Patented N0v.10, 1914.

2 SHEETSS HEET 1.

Wifiwsses; j [five 12134. m 08C cwMCm Ze fan,

ailz/a I Qu/ETney. v

DEC. 6, i913.

Patented Nov. 10 1914.

v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 a he? i...

GAELETOBI, 53F SGMERVLLLE, lElIASSA 'LT-EEUSETTS, ASSIGENOR G3? QNEHALF T9 SILAS W. BENNETT, SQT/IER-V ILLE, 14IASSAGEU3ETTS.

LENVELOP-FEEDZNG DEVICE.

Specifi ation of Letters Eatent.

Patented Nov. to, 1934i.

hpplica'tion filed ES-ec'embcr 6, 1913. Serial No. $65,002. 7

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known. that l, Use-i1. l l. 'CinLsToN, a citizen of the United Ftate and a resident of Soznerville, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of ll'iassaehusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in llnvelop-lff eeding Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact de scription.

While this device may be utilized for feeding envelops to printing presses and the like, it is specifically designed to be used in conjunction with typewriters for enabling envelope to be addressed ra idly and exactly.

ln'the drawings. Figure l. is perspective view of an envelop feeder embodyng my invention, the. same being shown as eonnected with a visible typewriter. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same. but with parts thereof folded down upon others. Fig. 3 cross section oi the device with. an envelop shown as just being fed into the en -agemcnt of the typewriter rollers. Fig. i is a perspective view of the resilient arm. by which the envelops are held in place. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a form of the device adapted for use in connection with an old style typewriter. Fig. 6 is a diagram of the feed rolls and the notched edge of the feeder plate.

My feeding device comprises essentially a shelf 1 upon. which the 'envelops 2 are stood on edge, with the flaps 3 toward the typewriter roll 4, said shelf being; suitably supported, as by the arms attached to the typewriter. To the front edge of the shelf is hinged aframe consisting of grooved uprights 6- and-alongitudinal bar '2", the pintles' of said hinges 9 being thumb screws 10g qvhereby the loosening of the latter permits the said frame and the plate 11 carried thereby, to be folded down upon said shelf, while said frame and plate is lined in the normal position by tightening the thumb.

screws. -Said plate 11 has its lateral edges slidable in the grooves 12 in said uprights, and is moved up and down therein by the thumb-piece 40 at its top edge. Forcausing said plate to move without binding in said grooves and to maintain its lower edge perfectly horizontal, a shaft 14 is provided, having its ends supported in bearings 15 on said uprights, and carrying gears 16 meshing with racks 1? fastened on said plate. A

helical. spring 19 serves to retain the plate 11 in its uppermost position, and to aid more or less in its upward return.

When the feed plate 11 is pressed downward, its lower edge enters between the flap 3 of the outermost envelop and such (in-- velop and carries the latter down with it to the juncture oi. the typewrite rolls at and 20, as shown in Fig. 3. I have found, however, that when the lower edge of the feed plate is unbroken, it is practically impossible to cause said rolls to take the envelop .w ay from the feed plate, and the only way it can he done to take advantage of the fact that in the modern typewriters the roller 20 is not continuous, bu" is composed of sections spaced upon the shaft 21. Such spaced scetioi'is are illustrated at 3 in Fig. 2 of Patent 9-l-l,SS9, for example. edge of the plate ll is broken to present sev-- oral dentitions 22 each adapted to enter the space between two roller sections 20 as illustrated in Fig. 6. Hence when the feed plate presses an envelop down between said sections and the roll 4, there is no plate within the parts ot'the envelop which are gripped by said roll and sections. Consequently the midlength of the envelops, such portion,

is -caused to belly forward very' slightly but enough to make the point of the flap 3 which. is outermost project somewhat beyond the surface oi its connected envelop, so that when the feed plate 11 descends its denticular edge enters with certainty the space behind the flap. By having, the feed plate frame hinged to the shelf, the device can be readily adjusted to fit any make of visible typewriter, since all that needs to he done after screwing the arms 5 to the same is to unloosen the thumb screws 10, slide the feed plate down between the rolls i, 20, and then tighten up said thumb screws.

In applying this envelop "feeder to the old lhe lower style, or non-visible type of machine, it is necessary to have it swing up and back when the typewriter cylinder 1s raised. F or "this purpose, I have the bars of the shelf 1 extended rearwardly and made rigid with uprights 26. The lower ends oiz these uprights carry a shaft 27 which is rotatively supported by uprights 29, arms 30 and plugs 31 entering the sockets 32 which are provided for the support of the usual paper shielding plate. At one or both ends of the roll or'cylinder l: is a finger 33 resting thereon and rigid with the feed plate frame, so that when said cylinder is swung up and back, the envelop feeder rises with it. See Fl 5.

%Vhile the remainder of the device can he ,made in the same manner as already described, it can be constructed as shown in ig. 5, with a shaft 2'? rotatably supported in the upper ends of the uprights 26 and having arms 35 rigid therewith. At the extremities of said arms are slots 36 engaging pins 37 projecting from the feed plate 11. A helical spring 38 upon said shaft serves to yieldingly press said plate upward. The plate frame is here shown as rigid with the shelf 1, instead of being hinged thereto as in the other construction.

In the operation of this feeding device, the plate 11 is first adjusted to present its lower edge at the points of contacts of the cylinder 4 and sectional feed roll 2-3, as above described, since when not in use the said plate is turned fiat down upon the shell. 1 in order to render the device more compact. Then the yielding arm 23 is pressed backward and a bunch of envelope introduced between the same and the hack of the feeder plate, with the flaps toward the front. The normal position of the feeder plate being immediately above the flap of the outermost envelop, the depression of said plate by the application of the opera tors hand to the thumb piece 40, carries the lower edge or said plate into the space he tween said flap and its envelop and then ith day of December, 1913.

misses forces the plate and envelop down between the cylinder 4; and feed roll 20. The cylinder is then turned and carries such envelop around to the proper impression-receiving position; after which, or even si-- mnltaneously therewith, the feeder plate is returned to its normal position.

It should be noted that the feeder device is supported by and slides with the typewriter carriage, so that at all times the device is in proper position relative to the carriage for delivering envelops thereto.

What I claim. as my invention is:

1. An envelop feeder comprising a supporting'means for the envelops, a feeder plate slide-hie in its own plane, means pressing the envelops against said plate, a rock at each end of said plate, a horizontal shaft parallel necting said shaft with said racks, whereby to insure parallel movement of said plate.

An envelop feeder cojbn irising a supporting shell for the envelo s, a feeder plate slidable in its own plane, envelope against said plate, and a horizontal rotatable shaft having a pinion near each end, said plate having racksmeshing with said pinions.

3. Thecombination with a typewriter means pressing the having feeder rolls which are interrupted or sectional, of an envelop feeder comprising a supporting shelf, a feeder plate slidable in its own plane, and means pressing the em velops against said plate, the edge or the plate which is designed to engage the feeder rolls being formed with notches disposed to avoid the feeder roll sections, while the edge-portions come between the feeder roll sections.

In testimony that .1 claim the fors oing invention, I have hereunto set my hand this oscan 1a. CARLETON.

Witnesses A. B. UPHAM, MAJOR D. Pon'rnn.

65 with said plate, and pinions con- I 

